Provincial education commission planned
KARACHI: The Sindh government will soon set up an education commission and a bill in this connection will be presented before the provincial assembly for its approval.
This was stated by Senior Minister for Education Pir Mazharul Haq while presiding over the 19th meeting of the NED University senate which, besides considering the annual report, approved the university’s budget 2011-12.
Referring to the devolution of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) under the 18th constitutional amendment, the minister said that although the process was in transitory period, the Sindh government had decided to set up an education commission with its members drawn from serving and retired educationists.
Ruling out interference by the provincial government in the affairs of public sector universities after devolution of the HEC, he said such apprehensions were uncalled for and baseless. As a matter of fact, he added, provinces had gained greater autonomy after devolution of education to provinces. Decorum and respect of all universities would be maintained as they had been created through legislation, he said.
By making education a provincial subject, the 18th amendment has paved the way for maintaining and raising standard of education, according to him.
“Why should we depend on federal government for every thing knowing that its main task was to look after serious matters concerning defence, economy and foreign affairs.
Emphasising the need for ensuring merit in every sphere of life, he said that unlike the past practices of inducting cronies of influential people in the education department, the present government had recruited 14,000 schoolteachers purely on a merit basis after an entrance test conducted by the IBA, Sukkur. Another 8,000 teachers would be employed and transparency would be ensured in the recruitment process, he added.
About the menace of cheating and malpractices in the boards exams, the minister said that the government would now strictly the relevant rules to curb it.
Earlier, NED vice chancellor Prof Abul Kalam highlighting the university’s achievements and said that it had also succeeded in completing the physical work for the execution of all development projects.
He said that in 2003-04, a total of 1,015 undergraduates were enrolled with the university and their number in 2010-11 had jumped to 1,882. The number of students enrolled in the NED master’s degree programme had also increased from 296 in 2003-04 to 482 this year while there were 16 students enrolled for the PhD programme this year as against only seven enrolled in 2007-08.
He said there were 74 PhDs in the university’s faculty while 111 faculty members were doing their PhDs abroad or some other institutions of the country.
Meanwhile, the senate approved the university’s deficit budget for the year 2011-12.
According to the budget document, the university estimates an income of over Rs1.275 billion as against the proposed expenditure of a little over Rs1.371 billion.
Source: Dawn
Date:7/29/2011
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